Iran's Raw Cotton Output to Reach 160,000 Tons

Coco

2018-02-12

Production of raw cotton in Iran during the ongoing Iranian year is expected to touch 160,000 tons, according to Iran Cotton Fund. This would yield between 45,000 and 50,000 tons of ginned cotton. In the current Iranian year beginning March 21, 2017, around 124,550 tons of raw cotton has already arrived in the market and bought by ginning factories.

Iran’s domestic textile industry needs around 90,000 to 100,000 tons of cotton annually, and more than half of this demand is met through imports. In the first ten months to January 20, 2018, Iran imported nearly 56,000 tons of cotton.

Iran had turned from being a cotton exporter to an imported during 2001-16, when the area under cotton cultivation declined more than 75 per cent to 70,000 hectares from 300,000 hectares. Low price of cotton compared to other agricultural products is one of the reasons for drop in cotton cultivation.

However, land under cotton cultivation has grown by 6 per cent in the current year, according to data of Cotton Project, being implemented by the ministry of agriculture.